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UK Gov't ‘Complacency’ Over Security Deal Putting Public at Risk – Committee

The committee also warned that the prime minister’s draft withdrawal agreement could result in a “security downgrade.”
Sputnik

 

The British government’s “complacency” over securing a post-Brexit security deal with the European Union (EU) is putting public safety at risk, a parliamentary committee warned on Friday.

The Home Affairs Committee claimed a hard Brexit would result in a “cliff-edge” scenario, with UK police and intelligence agencies losing access to EU systems and key databases overnight.

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Moreover, the committee’s chair, Yvette Cooper, said that even if May’s deal gets through parliament, it will be “near-impossible” to secure the UK’s continued access to EU criminal and counter-terrorism databases.

“The government isn’t being open about the implications of this deal. Continued police and security cooperation is in everyone’s interest, but there is far too much complacency,” Labour MP Yvette Cooper said on Friday.

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The current draft deal will give UK security services access to the European Arrest Warrant and other EU-wide measures and databases until the end of the 21-month transition period.

A separate UK-EU security treaty is actively being negotiated, with Britain looking to maintain access to Schengen Information System (SIS II) and other vital databases even after withdrawing from the bloc.

However, the committee noted that there is no guarantee the UK will be able to agree “replica arrangements”, stressing this would result in a “significant” security downgrade.

“We know that this would mark a significant downgrade of our security and policing capabilities, and the police have made clear we would be less safe as a result,” the committee's chair added.

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